Gas meter



May 13, 1930. a. MEYER GAS METER Filed Jan. 6, 1927 [AH EN 70/? $502 lVE/EQ Patented May 13, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORG MEYER, F MAINZ, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T0 GASMESSERFABRIK MAINZ ELSTER & 00., 0F MAINZ, GERMANY GAS METER Application filed January 6, 1927, Serial No.

My invention relates to devices for measuring or metering gas, and particularly to those of the type known as dry gas meters. The object of my invention is to improve the cfficiency of such apparatus, chiefly by reduc-. ing internal resistance to the gas flow, which result I accomplish partly by a novel construction enabling me to dispense with certain structural elements employed hitherto,

19 and partly by. a valve arrangement which not only shortens the path of the gas, as compared with the customary arrangement, but avoids the detrimental reversals in the direction of the gas current which occur in 5 certain prevailing constructions of this type.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Fig. 1 is a plan view of a typical and satisfactory example of a gas meter embodying my present invention, with the cover removed; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic vertical section of said gas meter, the relative arrangement of the parts having been altered somewhat from that shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating one pair of measuring chambers.

An example of my improved construction by which pressure losses are reduced is shown 39 in Figs. 1 and 2. The registering mechanism proper, which may be of any customary or approved character, has been omitted from the drawings, asfhave the bearings of the valve controlling. shaft and some other parts.

the details of which form no part of my present invention.

The casing of the gas meter illustrated is provided with the usual horizontal partition 1 separating themeasuring chambers from the inlet and outlet chambers referred to below.

Four measuring chambers 2, 3, 4, 5 respectively have been indicated,jeach of them containing a movable wall or diaphragm of wellknown type, which moves alternately in opv posite directions as the gas flows into, or out of, the measuring chamber, and the movement of such wall or diaphragm is transmitted by suitable connections to an upright rock shaft 6 or 7 respectively, there being one such .50. shaft for each pair of measuring chambers 1593995 and in Germany January 7, 1926.

2, 3, or 4, 5 respectively. On said rock shafts are secured arms 8, 9 respectively, connected. by rods 10, 11 respectively with cranks on the valve controlling shaft 12, said cranks being at 90 to each other. The measuring chamher 2 has two ports 13 and 14 respectively, one of which serves as an inlet and the other as an outlet. Similarly, the chamber 3 has a pair of ports 15 and 16, while the chamber 4 has ports 17 and 18, and the chamber 5 two ports 19 and 20 respectively, instead of employing a single port both as inlet and as outlet, as in prior constructions of gas meters of the type in uestion.

The cham ers are arranged in pairs and corresponding ports of the same pair are controlled by the same valve. For instance, the inlet ports 13 and 15 are adjacent to each other and controlled by the same valve, herein shown as a sector shaped plate 21 mounted to rock about an upright axis 22. The width of said plate and the relative arrangement of the ports 13, 15 are such that in a certain position of the valve plate 21 (position shown in Fig. 1) said valve will close only one of the ports, as the port 13, while in other positions the said valve plate 21 may close either both ports 13 and 15, or only the port 15. It will be noted that this valve plate 21 and the similar plates 21, 21 and 21 which control the other adjacent ports of the measuring chambers, are fiat and do not have any recesses or cavities such as are present in the corresponding valves of priorconstructions. The valve controlling shaft 12 has two cranks 23 and 24 arranged at 90 from each other, and by means of rods 25, 25', 25 and 25 these cranks are connected with arms 26, 26', 26" and 26 respectively, on the shafts of the several valves, the crank 23 being thus operatively related to the valves 21 and 21, while the crank 24 cooperates with the valves 21" and 21 The connection of the valves is such that, as regards two adjacent chambers, as 2, 3 or 4, 5, only diagonally opposite parts will be open at the same time, that is to say, the inlet of one chamber and the outlet of the other chamber of the same pair. Thus Fig. 1 shows the valves 21, 21 in such a position as to open. he inle port 15 of the chamber 3 and the outlet port 14 of the chamber 2. The valves must never take a position in which the inlet port will be open at the same time as the outlet port of the same chamber. For a moment, as the valves pass from one end position, such as shown at the upper-half of Fig. 1, to the opposite end position, all

four ports of a pair of measuring chambers will be closed at the same time, this momentary int'ern'iediat'e position being shown. for

the valves 21, 21 at the lower portion of The space between the top of the:

Fig. 1. casing and the partition 1 is subdivided by means ot'aj partition 21- into; two; compart-.

ments 28, 29, respectively, one of which connects with the inlet pipe or conduit 30, whilethe other communicates with the outlet pipe or conduit 31.. the portslS, 15', 1 7, and 19 lead into the compartment 28" while the ports--14, 16, 18, and

20 lead into the compartment 29: The par-' tition, 27* is shown as having two parallel end' portions and acentral; connecting portion in which theshaft 12zis journaled at 12"with the aid of a, stufiingbox of gas tight character; The connecting rods 25 and 25 extend throu h suitable openings in said partition 27' an are each connected with a flexible gas ment29 and out through the conduit 31. The

movement of the diaphragm will also rock the shaft 6 in the well-known manner, and through the medium of the arm 8, rod 10- and the corresponding crank on the shaft 12, imparta partial rotation to the latter. Such partial rotation will, by means of the cranks 23, 24" and'the rods. cooperating therewith, reverse the position of the valves 21 and 21 so that the ports. 14 and 15 will'be closed, While the ports 13and16willbe opened. The gas will now pass from the compartment 28; into the chamber 2' through the port 13, and be expelled from the chamber 3 into the compartment 29'through the port 16. The valves 21"" and 21* will be operated simultaneously in a similar manner, and the shaft 12 willire ceive a practically continuous-rotation. This rotation is utilized in any well-known, or approved manner for the operationot a counting. or registering train which I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate.

A consideration of Fig.2;wi'll make it clear that my improved arrangement is far supe- It will be understood that rior to the one previously employed. It will be noted that in my construction there is no reversal in the direction of the gas flow such as occurs in the recesesd valves of prior constructions. reduction in the cross section of the gas passage: at this point, are detrimental by throttling the gas passage and producing a pressure loss, especially as the reversal takes place in a confined space with a small radius of curvature. In my construction none of the valves causes a reversal of the gas flow at the valve, but such valves simply open and close. The change in the gas flow into and out of the respective measuring chambers is effected by the cooperation of the individual valves 21, 21" or- 215" and 21 respectively. Another source of pressure loss'i n prior constructions is found in the outlet pipes which cause a whirling of the gas stream and; also a throttling action, both of which in conjunction with the i riction along the walls of the outlet pipe, cause a further pressure loss. While. this losshas been? reduced somewhat in exists-V ing constructions by making the outlet pipeas: short and oi as large a diameter asthe dimensions as the apparatus: will permit, still: some loss remains whenever an outlet pipe such: as is referred; to. above is interposed be tween the valve and; the outlet connection. It will be seen, however, that in my construction an outlet pipe suchi asmentioned hereinbetore is. dispensed with altogether, each measuring chamber opening directly intoithe compartments 28s and. 29 located above such chamber soithat thefull area, ofsaid compart? mentsis available-for-the passagerofi the gas from or tothe ports at the topof the measuring chambers Theresistance toithe gas-flow: is thus: reducedto a; minimum. and) the pres sure loss iscorrespondinglylow.

Another advantage resulting from; my improved? construction; is: the material shortening of the path. which the gas: takes. from the inlet- 30 to the outlet 3].. This is due not only to the: omission of the afores said outlet pipe, but to the eflicient' location of the inlet. ports. 13, 15,. 17, and 19 relatively to the conduit 30, and of the outlet ports 14, 16', 1-8 and 20" relatively to the outlet conduit 31. Of course, the path of the gas within a measuring chamber issubstantially of the same length in my construction asin the prior one, but a much more di rect pathisprovided'by my constructiontromthe inlet conduit 30 130 the measuring cham-v bers and from the outlet ports of the measuring chambers to-theoutlet conduit 31. The arrows drawn in solid lines in- Fig. 2 indicate the path of the'gases. exteriorly ofthe measuring chambers and show clearly that this portionof the gas path is mucl'i'shorter in my construction than in the one; employed hitherto. This advantage is largely a consequence of the fact that my construction has This reversal of flow and also the two ports, the gas entering at one portand leaving at the other, whereas in the prior construction the gas had to leave through the same port through which it had previously entered. Furthermore, the two ports of the same measuring chamber are in my construction spaced so far apart as to reduce their distance from the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit 31, respectively. The reduction 'in the length of the gas path will become especially convincing if we consider the path of a particularportion or particle of the gas such as the one indicated at P in Fig. 2. The dotted arrows indicate the path of said particle within the measuring chamber so that the entire path is indicated by the aggregate length of the dotted arrows and the arrows shown in full lines. While the path within the measuring chamber is approximately of the same a length in the present case as in existing constructions, a reversal of direction is required in the known construction, while in my improved construction illustrated by Fig. 2 there is no reversal in the path of the gas particle P but only a deflection from its straight course, and after entering the measuring chamber, such gas particle proceeds in a substantially straight line to the outlet of said chamber.

It will be understood that various modificat-ions may be made without departing from the nature of my invention as set forth in the appended claims. More particularly the arrangement of the partition 27 may be varied and other mechanisms than the one illustrated may be employed for operating the valves 21, 21, 21" and 21*; nor is it essential to my invention that such valves should be rocking sectors, since other forms of valves might be employed to control the ports of the measuring chambers in substantially the manner descrlbed herein.

I cla1m:

1. A gas meter comprising a casing forming an inlet compartment and an outlet compartment, a plurality of pairs of measuring chambers each of which chambers has a port by which it may communicate with said inlet compartment and another port by which it ment, a plurality. of valves each of which controls the two inlet ports leading from said inlet compartment to the measuring chambers of the same pair, other valves each of which controls the two outlet ports leading to the outlet compartment from the measuring chambers of the same pair, an operative connection between the two valves controlling the communication of chambers of the same pair withthe inlet compartment and the outlet compartment respectively, in such a manner that only one port of each pair of inflow and outflow ports can be open at a time, and an operative connection between valves belonging to difierent pairs of measuring chambers, to cause such pairs of chambers to operate out of phase with each other.

2. A gas meter comprising a casing forming a pair of measuring chambers each provided with separate ports for the inflow and outflow of gas, the inlet ports of the two chambers being adjacent to each other and the outlet ports of the two chambers being likewise adjacent to each other, a valve controlling the inlet ports of both chambers, another valve controlling the outlet ports of both chambers, and an operative connection between said valves, so arranged that the inlet port of one chamber will be open at the same time as the outlet port of the other chamber, and vice-versa.

3. A gas meter comprising a casing forming an inlet compartment, an outlet compartment, and a pair of measuring chambers having adjacent inlet ports adapted for connection with one of said compartments, and adj acent outlet ports, separate from said inlet ports and adapted for connection with the other compartment, a valve controlling the inlet ports of both chambers, another valve controlling the outlet ports of both chambers, and an operative connection between said valves, so arranged that the inlet port of one chamber will be open at the same time as the outlet port of the other chamber, and viceversa.

4. A gas meter according to claim 2, in which the valves consist of flat plate-like members movable across the ports of the measuring chambers.

5. A gas meter according to claim 2, in which the valves consist of sector plates having flat surfaces controlling the ports of the measuring chambers, said plates being pivoted about axes which lie exteriorly of the ports controlled by the respective valves.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORG MEYER.

may communicate with said outlet compart- 

